Following the marches in Charlottesville last weekend by white nationalists protesting the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue, some Georgia Democrats are ramping up their attempts to remove Confederate symbols from public property.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed on Monday released a statement condemning the actions of the marchers in Virginia, particularly the man who drove a car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing one woman and injuring nearly 20 more. He also responded to a series of petitions that cropped up over the weekend calling for certain Atlanta streets bearing the names of Confederate leaders to be changed, saying “I will carefully consider those petitions, because symbols matter, and as those espousing hate-filled ideologies grow bolder, we must grow stronger in defense of our values.”
Also speaking up was former state House Minority Leader and current gubernatorial candidate Stacy Abrams, who in a series of tweets Tuesday morning called for the removal of the famous carving of three Confederate leaders on the side of Stone Mountain – the largest bas-relief sculpture in the world. Said Abrams via Twitter, “The managers of Stone Mountain have taken steps to educate w a powerful audio tour to return the listener to the horrors of slavery. But the visible image of Stone Mountain’s edifice remains a blight on our state and should be removed. State leg led by the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus have pushed for action for decades. I supported action then & I renew calls now.”
Stone Mountain has often come under fire in recent years for its display of Confederate memorabilia. Governor Nathan Deal and other Republican leaders have stuck up for the historic site, expressing their desire to preserve an important part of the state’s history while acknowledging the darker aspects of the region’s past. Said Deal the last time he was forced to respond to critics of the carving, “Stone Mountain is set up and preserved by state law as a Confederate memorial. In fact, the law that changed the state flag expressly prohibited any changes at Stone Mountain Park. In recent weeks, many on both sides of the argument have said that these Confederate symbols belong in places where we view historical artifacts, such as museums. In Georgia, where these symbols are no longer on our state flag or on Capitol grounds, Stone Mountain serves that purpose.”
In Piedmont Park Sunday a statue depicting a Confederate soldier looking up at an angelic figure holding an olive branch was defaced, and now city officials are weighing whether to repair it or remove it entirely. The statue is a ‘Peace Monument’ meant to commemorate the Confederacy re-entering the Union.
Republicans pushed back against Abrams’ rhetoric, with Lt. Governor and gubernatorial candidate Casey Cagle saying, “Instead of dividing Georgians with inflammatory rhetoric for political gain we should work together to add to our history, not take from it.”
Secretary of State and rival in the Governor’s race Brian Kemp echoed those sentiments, saying “I unequivocally condemn hatred, violence, and bigotry. As for the monuments, I believe the same as former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that it’s best to ‘keep your history before you.’ We should learn from the past – not attempt to rewrite it.”
State Senator Michael Williams, yet another contender in the 2018 race for Governor took aim at Stacy Abrams directly, saying “Democrat candidate Stacey Abrams’ call to blast the face off Stone Mountain is complete nonsense. This is nothing more than a desperate attempt to change the media coverage of her supporters shouting down her opponent for having white skin. Once again, the media is rushing to aid their most liberal allies and ignore racists in the Democrat Party.”
